Siberian snowboarders strip for cameras

Tourism chiefs in Siberia persuaded snowboarders to brave the region’s notoriously bitter winter weather in hotpants and bikini tops.

It was for a promotional film designed to encourage skiers and snowboarders to the region’s Sheregesh resort.

Siberia is on a drive to draw more tourists away from Moscow to visit the country’s frozen east, where temperatures dip to minus 30 degrees Celsius in winter.

They also hope to entice adventurous winter sports enthusiasts away from more traditional resorts in the Alps.

“We are quite remote but we’re up and coming,” said a tourist board spokesman.

“We can’t guarantee a show like this every day but we’re pretty relaxed out here in Siberia.

“And we have the best snowboarding powder anywhere in Europe.”

Locals also plan to open a Yeti theme park this year to cash in on frequent sightings of the mythical beast in the area.

Sheregesh deputy mayor Igor Idimeshev, 48, said: “Now, if the girls can tempt out some ski-ing Yetis, then we really will be in business.”

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Siberian_snowboarders_strip_for_cameras

by Dr Vince

‘Female’ romance author Jessica Blair unmasked as 89-year-old grandfather

In the past, female writers such as Charlotte Bronte had to adopt male pen names in order to get their books published. But the tables were turned for former war hero Bill Spence after he wrote a series of romance novels.

The grandfather from Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, was told his books would need to be printed under a feminine moniker if he wanted them to sell – and so his pseudonym Jessica Blair was born.

Bill, 89, has so far written 22 romance novels under the female pen name since his first was published in 1993, with his latest, Silence of the Snow, due out this week. 

Meet Jessica Blair: The author of 22 romantic novels is actually Bill Spence

 And far from feeling his masculinity had been questioned, Bill said he was delighted when a publisher suggested his books carry the name of a woman.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2274519/Female-romance-author-Jessica-Blair-unmasked-89-year-old-war-vet-called-Bill-Spence.html#ixzz2LCfSwhj0

by The Punjapit Alliance

Bog Stranded…. Flush hour rail delays

Train passengers were held up for more than an hour after a railway signalman got stuck in an outside toilet.

He left his post to answer a call of nature but was left flushed with embarrassment when the lock jammed.

The driver of a Hereford to London train heard the man’s cries for help after he was forced to stop because he could not make radio contact.

Colleagues eventually managed to set the signalman free by forcing the door open with a crowbar, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The 3.13pm service was delayed during the rescue near Worcester Foregate Street station.

Rail bosses gave the reason as “signalling problems” but rail ­enthusiasts became privy to the truth through an internet forum.

One user joked: “Where are all the relief staff when you need ’em…?”

Network Rail ­apologised for the incident and blamed the rail system’s ageing buildings.

A spokesman added: “Much of the railway network is still controlled from Victorian signal boxes, which often have outside loos.”

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Train_delayed_as_signalman_gets_stuck_in_loo

by The Punjapit Alliance

Pants calendar is an unlikely success

A bizarre calendar of men posing in their underpants with classic 1970s cars is proving an unlikely success in Germany.

The pictures – featuring male models of all shapes and sizes – show some classic bodywork has aged better than others.

One bearded model poses in a pair of baggy brown Y-fronts, holding a chainsaw, as he stands beside a classic Audi quattro.

Another model in the £25 calendar is seen posing proudly in front of a Volvo Amazon while wearing skin-tight leopard-skin print trunks.

Creator Janet Schurmeyer, from Wuppertal, says she and a photographer pal dreamed up the calender as an antidote to traditional poses of semi-clad women draped over curvy sports cars.

“We only use men – most of them are our friends – and they are often not wearing the most attractive underwear, whatever it is they feel comfortable in” she explained.

“I’d say it’s about equal with men and women buying them. It is not a question of sex – it’s more about a person’s sense of humour,” she added.

The pair say it’s selling well online – and they have even sold some to garages where mechanics have hung it alongside the regular girlie pin up calenders.

She added: “There are girl mechanics now as well – so why shouldn’t they have something for the wall as well?

“There is a minimum age of 20 years for the cars. For the men it is 18,” she added.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Pants_calendar_is_an_unlikely_success

by The Punjapit Alliance

Male gay fish behaviour found to turn on female fish

German scientists say they have found a tropical male fish that becomes more attractive to females when it displays same-sex behaviour.

Their research has shown the female Atlantic molly prefer mating partners whom they saw having sex with other males.

The University of Frankfurt study concludes that male fish can therefore increase their attractiveness towards females by displaying same-sex behaviour and thereby improve their chances of future heterosexual mating.

David Bierbach, of the University of Frankfurt, and colleagues said this new mechanism might explain the occurrence and persistence of homosexuality also in other animal species.

The researchers said: “Male homosexual behaviour – although found across the animal kingdom – remains a conundrum, as same-sex mating should decrease male reproductive fitness.

“In most species, however, males that engage in same-sex sexual behaviour also mate with females, and in theory, same-sex mating could even increase male reproductive fitness if males improve their chances of future heterosexual mating.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/12/study-male-gay-fish-behaviour-found-to-turn-on-female-fish/

by Dr. Vince

First walk for Britain’s smallest dog

Britain’s smallest dog has embarked on her first walk – despite being too tiny to fit the littlest of leads.

Pocket-sized Mini is just seven inches long and slips through every shop-bought collar.

However, dedicated owner Emma Williams came up with the perfect solution, reversing the lead and slipping the handle end over Mini’s head.

It meant Ms Williams, 29, could take the tiny pooch for a stroll along the seafront in Sandbanks, Dorset.

The chilly winter air meant that Mini had to don a coat made from a child’s sock, but running around helped to keep her warm.

And the Yorkshire terrier-Chihuahua cross showed she’s no scaredy dog when she came face to face with a huge St Bernard dog.

Mini was the runt of a litter of six puppies and weighed just 1.3ozs – little more than an egg – when she was born.

Ms Williams became a surrogate mum to Mini and fed her milk formula every two hours.

She said: “When I took Mini out for a walk everyone stopped to talk to her, a few people even thought I was walking a pet rat which was very funny.

“During the walk pretty much everything was an obstacle, so we mainly walked along the beach.”

 http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/First_walk_for_Britains_smallest_dog

by Arf the Dog

Drunk farmer drove three wheeled tractor

A farmer has been banned from driving after he drove five miles with just three wheels on his tractor before passing out.

Drunk Marcin Pietrowski, 39, was arrested when police in Janow, Poland, found him fast asleep in a ditch beside a dirt road leading to his farm.

“We had lots of calls from other drivers saying he could barely steer the vehicle,” said a police spokesman.

“When we got there, he’d stopped the tractor and had fallen out of the cab where he passed out,” they added.

Shamefaced Marcin – now facing a hefty fine or jail – told police: “I’d had a few and needed to get home but I’d completely forgotten there were only three wheels on that tractor.”

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Drunk_farmer_drove_three_wheeled_tractor

by Arthur Furrowfield

Vale remora….

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of remora.

remora was a founding member of Punjapit & a great friend to all at the shed.

With sincere sympathy,

robin

Female hooligan ‘hid flare inside body’

Police in Russia are searching for a female football hooligan who they say injured a goalkeeper with a firecracker she had hidden inside her vagina.

Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper Anton Shunin was taken to hospital to be treated for damage to his eyes after the firework exploded in his face.

Police say video footage shows it was thrown by a female Zenit St Petersburg fan – and that they have evidence how she smuggled it into the ground.

A police source told journalists that female fans commonly used contraceptives to carry flares into the stands inside their bodies.

­”During the inspection of the stadium after Dynamo’s match against Zenit…, the police found dozens of condoms in the ladies’ room,” the source said.

Russian football officials are to meet this week to discuss the incident and could award a technical victory to Dynamo.

 http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Female_hooligan_hid_flare_inside_body

by The Punjapit Alliance

Council plan to DNA dog poo

A Kent parish council wants to use DNA testing on dog waste in a bid to catch owners who allow pets to soil the pavement.

Councillors sitting on Sundridge with Ide Hill Parish Council discussed the plans after hearing a string of complaints from villagers.

People in the two villages, near Sevenoaks, complained inconsiderate pet owners were “ruining the area”.

The council says it is now considering collecting DNA from waste and using it to prosecute anti-social owners.

Although never before used in the UK, DNA testing on dog mess has been used in Germany and the US.

Owners must give consent for a DNA sample to be taken from their pet, but once they are on the database their behaviour can be logged for their entire lifetime.

According to the minutes of the meeting, the council agreed to take a tougher stance on fining offending dog owners and to make sure the dog warden visited the area regularly.

The minutes added: “If this still remains a problem it is possible to take DNA from the poo and trace it back to the dog and its owner.”

Anna West, 36, of Sundridge, who walks her dog Harvey in the area, said: “It just seems bizarre to me. Crazy. It’s Big Brother gone mad, really.”

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Council_plan_to_DNA_dog_poo

by Arf the Dog